Blade sharpener



May 16,- 1933. s. RABIN 1,909,009

BLADE SHARPENER Filed April 9, 1930 r avwewfoz 502mm? Bah) 33 bu arm/mu Patented May 16, 1933 UNITED STATES smum. 3mm, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

BLADE SHARPENER Application filed April 9,

Thisinvention relates to an improvement in apparatus for sharpening blades, and more particularly for sharpening safety razor blades.

'1 Among the principal objects which the present inventionhas in VieW- are: to provide an improved apparatus which will sharpen safety razor blades having a double edge; to provide means for automatically swinging the blade inthe apparatus from one sharpening roller to another; to provide means for causing the rollers to sharpen the edges of blades evenly; to provide a holding means for a razor blade holder within the apparatus; to provide a blade holder which will lock the blade therein before insertion in the apparatus; to secure simplicity of construction; and to' obtain other advantages and results as may be brought out in the following description.

In the drawing:

Figure -1 is a top plan of the apparatus with cover removed.

Figure 2 is a sectional View, as taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a similar view, as taken on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a similar view looking in opposite direction, as taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1. Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view, as taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2, with the cover removed and shows the blade inserted in the holder.

Figure 6 is a front view of the blade holder with blade before inserted in-the apparatus, and i i Figure 7 is a sectional view, as taken on the line 77 of Figure 6.

Inthe description:

- In the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated in said drawing, the reference I numeral 10 indicates a safety razor blade sharpening" apparatus having a boxlike casing 11 and a curved cover 12. The cover 12 is secured to the casing by suitable means, and for purposes of the present disclosure opposite marginal portions of the upper edges of a pair of sides of the casing 11 areinset toward each other, the inward- 1980. Serial No. 442,778.

ly directed portions of said sides having slots 13 for frictionally receiving depending tabs 14 on the lower edges of the cover. This cover may be removed from the casing 11 by applying slight pressure. Said cover is likewise provided with a transparent shield, such as a celluloid window 15, advantageous for viewing the interior of the apparatus 10 when in operation without the necessity of removing the cover, especially to see that the blade is properly positioned and being sharpened properly. The cover with its window 15 prevents dust from accumulating on the working parts. I

Referring now more particularly to Figures 1 to 5, there are shown a pair of parallel sharpening rollers 16, 16 within the casing 11, spaced slightly apart and slidably mounted on keyed shafts 17, 17, so as to be rotated by the shafts. The ends of said shafts are ournaled in the outer or end walls of the casing 11. .On the corresponding end of each shaft within the casing and adjacent the end wall thereof, is a pinion or gear 18 attached to the shaft for actuating the same. In mesh with one of these gears or pinions 18, is a larger gear 19 fixed on a shaft 20 above the plane of the roller shafts 17, 17, and parallel to said shafts. Said gear shaft 20 is also journaled in the end walls of the casing, and one end of the shaft projects through the casing 11, and secured to this projecting end is a handle or crank 21. On the opposite end of the gear shaft 20 from the handle and within the casing adjacent the end wall thereof, is a coiled spring 22 frictionally'encircling the shaft and having one end fastened to theinside of the casing. The friction between the spring and shaft will suflice to keep the parts stationary until positively actuated,

and also acts as a pawl to prevent the gears 18, 18 from being operated in the reverse direction.

'Attached to the keyed roller shafts 17 17, and extending longitudinally within the sharpening rollers 16, 16 for the length of, and each projecting slightly from one. end of the roller as shown in Figures 1 to 5,,are bushings 23, 23. These projecting ends of the bushings are shaped to form cam faces 24:, 24:, directed longitudinally outward for engaging an abutment for sliding the rollers longitudinally in one direction with each revolution. In order that the rollers may be caused to retract or return to their neutral positions, means are provided on the opposite ends of the shafts 17, 17, for actuating the rollers 16, 16 in a direction toward the cams. The means shown is in the form of compression coil springs 25, 25, mounted on the shafts between the ends of the bushings and the pinions 18, and tend to keep the sharpening rollers away from the pinions and keep cams 24, 24, in contact with their abutments, here shown as ends 26, 26, of a bar 27. This bar 27 is suitably at tached to the inside wall of the casing 11.

In order that the sharpening rollers 16, 16 cooperate at opposite sides of a blade to both frictionally engage the blade in the same direction, a separate or idler gear 28, of approximately the same size of the gears 18, is mounted on the casing 11 in mesh with the driving gear 19 and with the one gear 18 not in direct mesh with the gear 19. B this arrangement, one roller will turn clockwise while the other turns counter clockwise, but such that the surface movement next the razor blade 29 is in the same direction.

For swinging the blade 29 to engage the sharpening surface on the rollers 16, 16, a cam 30 is provided on the driving shaft 20, here shown as an integral part of the gear 19. Said cam 30 is preferably at the side of the gear toward the roller and provides a peripheral cam surface. A rocker arm 31 bears against this cam, the other end of the rocker arm depending and being fast with respect to a rocker shaft 32 parallel to the rollers and below the same. As the cam rotates, the rocker arm swings back and forth, thus oscillating the rocker shaft upon its longitudinal axis. The rocker arm is held in engagement with the cam by suitable means such as a tension spring 33.

On the rocker shaft 32 is secured a clamp or rocker housing 34 which is preferably of a pliable material so as to act as frictional means for securely holding the razor blade from sliding backward or forward when being sharpened. As shown, this rocker housing comprises a middle portion bent around and secured to the rocker shaft 32, and substantially parallel main portions extending upwardly from opposite sides of said shaft toward the rollers 16, 16, the inherent resiliency of the main portions tending to press them toward each other. The upper edges of these main portions are turned inwardly toward each other thereby completing ahousing to slidably receive from the end of the housing a blade holder 35.

Referring now to Figures 6 and 7, the blade holder 35 is shown as constructed from two separate pieces of metal, and hinged at their ends as at 36, so as to be opened and closed for accommodating or releasing the razor blade 29. Said holder is of a size substantially the size of the razor blade, and after a blade has been inserted, more particularly to a type adapted for this kind of holder, a pair of punched detents 37 pass through holes in the blade and out through a pair of holes provided in the upper part or cover of the holder 35, as shown in Figure 7. On the end opposite the hinged end of the holder, the upper or cover part is provided with a depending tab 38 which is passed through a slot 39 provided on the undcrside of the holder, this permits locking the blade 29 in the holder. The underside part of the holder is of a longer strip and acts as a gripping means or handle 41.

An opening 40 is provided at the one end of the casing 11 of a sufi icient design to permit easily inserting the holder 35 with blade 29 into the rocker housing 3 1. The free end or handle 11 extending out from the casing 11.

Having thus described one form of blade holder, I do not wish it understood that I limit myself to this particular type as other holders may be adapted for conveniently accommodating blades of other makes.

I claim:

1. An apparatus as characterized comprising a pair of rollers mounted in parallel relation and spaced to alternately receive the edge of a blade to be sharpened rocked from one to the other, a holder for said blade, and means for rocking said holder yieldingly, said means comprising a cam rotatable in conjunction with the rollers, and a spring arm resiliently engaging the cam and having an end away from the cam secured to the holder, and another spring for actuating said spring arm toward the cam, the pressure of the blade on one roller depending upon the spring tension of said spring arm and the pressure of the blade on the other roller depending upon the spring tension of the spring actuating said spring arm.

2. A device as characterized comprising a casing having a rocker shaft extending longitudinally thereof from end to end of the casing midway between the front and back of the casing, an upstanding rocker housing carried by said rocker shaft and adapted to receive a razor blade with the edge thereof exposed and extending parallel to the said shaft, a pa-ir of sharpening rollers parallel to each other and the rocker shaft, said rollers being spaced apart and substantially opposite the position occupied by the razor blade when projecting from said rocker housing such that the blade may be swung back and forth into engagement with the sharpening rollers, a driving shaft above the rocker housin and above the position occupied by the e ge of the blade and parallel to the rocker shaft and sharpening rollers, a gear on said driving shaft for driving said rollers, a cam on said driving shaft, a resilient rocker arm secured to said rocker shaft and extending upwardly therefrom into engagement with said cam Whereby rotation of said driving shaft continuously rotates the sharpening rollers and the driving cam, said cam swinging said rocker arm, rocker shaft and rocker housing for V applying the blade being sharpened against one of the rollers under influence of the resilient pressure of said rocker arm, and a spring for actuating the rocker arm, rocker shaft and rocker housing in the opposite direction for resiliently applying the blade being sharpened against the other rocker.

SAMUEL RABIN. 

